Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan is set to join the Abraham Accords between Israel and Arab and Muslim majority countries in a symbolic move aimed at boosting the initiative that was a hallmark of US President Donald Trump's first administration. The action, announced on Thursday, is largely symbolic as Kazakhstan has had diplomatic relations with Israel since 1992 and is much farther geographically from Israel than the other Abraham Accord nations -- Bahrain, Morocco, Sudan and the UAE. Those countries agreed to normalise relations with Israel as a result of joining the accords, something Kazakhstan did shortly after gaining independence following the collapse of the Soviet Union. The move was first confirmed to The Associated Press by three US officials who insisted on anonymity to detail plans that hadn't yet been made public. Hours later, Trump posted on his social media site that he'd had a great call between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, of Israel, and President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, of ...

BLS International Services on Thursday said it has signed a contract with the Embassy of Cyprus in Kazakhstan to provide comprehensive visa outsourcing services. Under this agreement, BLS International will oversee Cyprus visa application operations in Kazakhstan, leveraging its global expertise and technology-driven processes to deliver a transparent and hassle-free experience for all applicants, a statement said. "This partnership with the Embassy of Cyprus in Kazakhstan signifies more than an expansion of our global footprint - it reflects our vision to make cross-border mobility simpler, smarter, and more inclusive. "Through this collaboration, we aim to deliver an experience that embodies efficiency, transparency, and ease for every traveller to Cyprus," BLS International Joint Managing Director Shikhar Aggarwal said.

Air India has entered into a codeshare partnership with Kazakhstan's flag carrier Air Astana. "The codeshare partnership enables cooperation between the two carriers on trunk routes between Kazakhstan and India, covering Air Astana routes operated between Almaty and Delhi, and Almaty and Mumbai. "With this, Air India will place its 'AI' designator code on Air Astana's flights to and from India, providing its customers convenient access to Almaty, a rapidly growing tourism and business hub in Central Asia," Air India said in a release on Wednesday. Both airlines already have an interline partnership that came into effect earlier this year. A codeshare partnership allows an airline to book its passengers on its partner carrier on a single ticket. Air India passengers travelling to Almaty from points beyond Delhi and Mumbai will be able to conveniently travel on a single ticket and check-in their baggage through to Almaty at the point of origin, the release said. Currently, Air Indi

Pune-based realty group Mont Vert Group has signed a USD 500 million (around Rs 4,300 crore) contract with Kazakhstan's Big B Corp for developing a medical university and a hospital, according to a statement. Mont Vert Group will be responsible for the construction and development activities related to the project, UK-based SRAM & MRAM Group said in the statement. UK-based SRAM & MRAM Group in partnership with Big B Corporation and KAZIND Medical Group of Kazakhstan is developing a private healthcare facility in Kazakhstan. The agreement was made possible through the efforts of Big B Corporation Director Ajay Bhandari and SRAM & MRAM Group Director Mahendra Joshi, the statement said. The group in October last year announced getting approval from the Kazakh government for 243 hectares of land at Astana and 100 hectares at Almaty for Medical University, a multi-specialty Hospital and a 5-star hotel. The medical college will teach 10,000 students and have a multi-specialty ...

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday met his counterpart from Turkmenistan, Rashid Meredov, in Delhi and said they had a warm exchange on deepening bilateral cooperation. Jaishankar said he welcomed the visiting leader's "strong condemnation" of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. Meredov is in India for a key conclave. The meeting between the two foreign ministers took place at Hyderabad House. In a post on X, Jaishankar also shared some photos of his meeting with Meredov. "Delighted to meet FM Rashid Meredov of Turkmenistan. A warm exchange on deepening our cooperation, particularly in trade, investment, connectivity, health and energy sectors. Welcome his strong condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations," Jaishankar posted on X. India is hosting the fourth edition of Central Asia Dialogue to forge a closer, wider and stronger partnership with the region, according to the Ministry of External Affairs. Foreign ministers of Kazakhstan,

The Khorgos Gateway, connecting northwest China to Kazakhstan, has become a major export hub for China's pre-owned cars

A tightly-scripted meeting of the Russia-dominated economic alliance of several ex-Soviet nations briefly went awry Thursday when two leaders engaged in bickering during a live broadcast of the event. Russian President Vladimir Putin and other heads of states attended the meeting of the Eurasian Economic Union, which includes Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who has increasingly sought to phase down his country's ties with Moscow and forge closer relations with the West, joined the meeting via video link after cancelling his trip following a positive test for COVID-19. The carefully choreographed session at a resort near St. Petersburg veered off script when Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, whose country was taking the rotating chairmanship in the economic grouping from Armenia, urged Pashinyan to visit Belarus for the union's next meeting. Pashinyan responded that he plans to attend the Belarus meeting via vide

The plane, which had 62 passengers and five crew members on board, crashed after being forced to make an emergency landing

A passenger plane from Azerbaijan Airlines crashed in Kazakhstan with around 67 people on board. Watch the video for details.

The plane was en route from Baku to Grozny in Russia's Chechnya. However, it was rerouted due to heavy fog in Grozny

Dr Reddy's Laboratories on Thursday said Kazakhstan revenue authority has levied a penalty of Rs 28.7 lakh on its subsidiary. The Department of State Revenue, Bostandyk district of Almaty, Kazakhstan has imposed the penalty on Dr Reddy's Laboratories Kazakhstan LLP towards disallowance of claim of certain expenses by the tax authorities for the calendar year 2021, the drug firm said in a regulatory filing. The order levies a penalty of KZT 17,597,212 (Rs 2.87 million), it added. "Based on our evaluation, there is no material impact on the financials, operations, or other activities of the company," the Hyderabad-based drug firm said.

Kazakhstan is the first country in Central Asia to launch a digital nomad visa

The ban follows Kazakhstan's decision not to apply for Brics membership, the bloc of emerging economies currently led by Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday attended the summit of a security grouping created by Moscow and Beijing to counter Western alliances. Putin and Xi joined the leaders of other countries that are members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation at its annual meeting in Kazakhstan's capital of Astana. The grouping was established in 2001 by China, Russia and the four ex-Soviet Central Asian nations of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan to promote regional security and economic cooperation. It was later joined by India, Pakistan and Iran. Russia's western neighbour and ally, Belarus, joined the SCO on Thursday. Observer states and dialogue partners include Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Addressing the summit, Putin emphasised the group's focus on ensuring security of its members and said the SCO will form a dedicated centre that will coordinate response to various security challenges. He added that the group's members will

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday met his Belarusian counterpart Maksim Ryzhenkov here and discussed the bilateral relationship and its future growth potential. Jaishankar, who is here to represent India at the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and carrying out various bilateral meetings on the sidelines, also welcomed the eastern European country as the newest member to the SCO bloc. Pleased to meet FM Maksim Ryzhenkov of Belarus today. Welcome Belarus to the SCO as its newest member. Discussed our bilateral relationship and its future growth potential, Jaishankar posted on the social media platform X along with the photos of the meeting. The meeting of the two Foreign Ministers came days after the first-ever India-Belarus Consular Dialogue that was held on June 28 in Minsk. The Indian delegation was led by Dr Aman Puri, JS (CPV), while the Belarusian delegation was led by Andrei Kozhan, Head of General Directorate for Consular Affairs, Minis

The SCO summit will take place from July 3-4 in Astana, the capital city of Kazakhstan

Yoon will visit Turkmenistan with the first lady for a state visit before heading to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan

Kazakhstan is on a mission to uproot corruption because it's holding back economic development, said Askhat Zhumagali, head of the anti-corruption agency that oversees the crackdown

More than 660 residential houses were flooded in the region by Wednesday morning, RIA cited emergency ministry as saying

More than 7,100 people were evacuated on Sunday from several hundred residential buildings that had been flooded, state news agency RIA said